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LD Zeev Buium - University of Denver, NCAA (2024, 12th, MIN)

MichaelFarrell said:
I thought Zeev was a surefire top 5 pick. The fact that 5 defenseman were taken before him was shocking to me. He was my number 1 defenseman for that draft.
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Right-handedness affected last year's draft in a way that I never saw coming. Never in a million years did I think Yakemchuk was going to be the second defenseman off the board after Levshunov.

I think the Sharks will be okay with Dickinson, but I really wanted them to take Buium.
 
Star Platinum said:
Right-handedness affected last year's draft in a way that I never saw coming. Never in a million years did I think Yakemchuk was going to be the second defenseman off the board after Levshunov.

I think the Sharks will be okay with Dickinson, but I really wanted them to take Buium.
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Dickinson is a different type of guy, and one who looks to be a no brainer top 4 at a minimum. guy in the NHL. That size and skating is hard to pass up. Silayev is an extreme version of Dickinson, with the added bonus that he has been testing himself against men for years. Both of those are very appealing.
 
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Ferguson said the only player he has ever seen as comfortable with opponents on their hip in Quinn Hughes in reference to Buium

lofty praise

Hughes may be the best player in the NHL with defenders right on him at his hip

probably why Ferguson gave him the tape to study
 
MuckOG said:
Do you think his opponents would be bigger and tougher in the CHL?
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Hard to measure toughness but if Zeev were to swap places with Zane Parekh who's playing Erie in the OHL playoffs he'd definitely notice a size difference compared to Boston College.

Boston College Forwards - 72.1" - 182 lbs
Erie Otter Forwards - 73.2" - 190.4 lbs

Boston College Defensemen - 72" - 183.9 lbs
Erie Otter Defensemen - 74.1" - 192.4 lbs
 
newmanager said:
Hard to measure toughness but if Zeev were to swap places with Zane Parekh who's playing Erie in the OHL playoffs he'd definitely notice a size difference compared to Boston College.

Boston College Forwards - 72.1" - 182 lbs
Erie Otter Forwards - 73.2" - 190.4 lbs

Boston College Defensemen - 72" - 183.9 lbs
Erie Otter Defensemen - 74.1" - 192.4 lbs
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Sizes are actually pretty similar overall:

Elite Prospects - Team Comparison in NCAA

Compare average height, weight and age in NCAA.
www.eliteprospects.com www.eliteprospects.com

Elite Prospects - Team Comparison in OHL

Compare average height, weight and age in OHL.
www.eliteprospects.com www.eliteprospects.com

It just happens that you picked one of the bigger CHL teams and one of the smaller NCAA teams.

It looks like the median NHL profile is 6'1.5" and 200lbs; median NCAA profile is 6'0" and 186lbs; and median OHL profile is 6'1" and 186lbs.

Buium is currently listed at 6'0" and 186lbs, which is exactly the NCAA median. Assuming in the next few years he'll add some weight and be closer to the NHL median 200lbs. Plus if you watched the game last night, he doesn't appear to have any problems with toughness or physicality among his peers. I think he'll be okay.
 
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57special said:
Dickinson is a different type of guy, and one who looks to be a no brainer top 4 at a minimum. guy in the NHL. That size and skating is hard to pass up. Silayev is an extreme version of Dickinson, with the added bonus that he has been testing himself against men for years. Both of those are very appealing.
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All three of those teams are fortunate those defenders fell the way they did. I'm sure all of them will be pleased with their player over time. Not needing a righty defender was a good place to be this past draft.
 
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newmanager said:
Hard to measure toughness but if Zeev were to swap places with Zane Parekh who's playing Erie in the OHL playoffs he'd definitely notice a size difference compared to Boston College.

Boston College Forwards - 72.1" - 182 lbs
Erie Otter Forwards - 73.2" - 190.4 lbs

Boston College Defensemen - 72" - 183.9 lbs
Erie Otter Defensemen - 74.1" - 192.4 lbs
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You can’t really trust listed heights/weights, I have seen some crazy discrepancies firsthand, sometimes even up to 25 lbs and 3-4 inches.
 
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AKL said:
Sizes are actually pretty similar overall:

Elite Prospects - Team Comparison in NCAA

Compare average height, weight and age in NCAA.
www.eliteprospects.com www.eliteprospects.com

Elite Prospects - Team Comparison in OHL

Compare average height, weight and age in OHL.
www.eliteprospects.com www.eliteprospects.com

It just happens that you picked one of the bigger CHL teams and one of the smaller NCAA teams.

It looks like the median NHL profile is 6'1.5" and 200lbs; median NCAA profile is 6'0" and 186lbs; and median OHL profile is 6'1" and 186lbs.

Buium is currently listed at 6'0" and 186lbs, which is exactly the NCAA median. Assuming in the next few years he'll add some weight and be closer to the NHL median 200lbs. Plus if you watched the game last night, he doesn't appear to have any problems with toughness or physicality among his peers. I think he'll be okay.
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To add to this: Size =/= strength and being the same weight doesn't mean you have the same muscle mass, either.

Humans don't peak physically until their 20's. They might be the same height and weight, but an athlete at 22 who has been in high-level strength and nutrition programs for 4 extra years is going to have a physical advantage over their 18 year old counterparts.
 
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State of Hockey said:
To be fair, aside from possibly Ottawa, I don't think any of the other 5 teams are unhappy with their picks. Just about every one of those defenders is having a great year.



He's playing college hockey. Small and weak are common opponents for him.

There's gotta be some amnesia going on with Buium. He did all of these same great things last year and was still only projected by most to go a touch higher than he did. I'm certainly pleased that he in the Wild's prospect fold, but let's be honest here and understand that it's a huge stretch to say he should be this surefire top-5 pick or something like it. Obviously this type of season doesn't bring about any new worries and greatly help validate the 12th overall, but all of his concerns on draft day are present and really won't be tested until he plays against tougher competition. The hype machine needs to take a break.
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I'm 70 and grew up in Greater Boston. I have seen Orr, Park and Bourque play their entire Boston careers. Buium, IMO has the potential to be his generations Brad Park.
 
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MuckOG said:
Do you think his opponents would be bigger and tougher in the CHL?
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Nope, but they will be in the NHL/AHL. Those are the leagues that will test the concerns much more completely.

Peasy said:
How is it a huge stretch to say he shoulda been top 5 in the draft lol? Theres people out there that ranked him that high. The draft was wide open after 1 (some people will say 2 cause of demidov). He arguably had one of the highest floors and ceilings for that draft.

What were his concerns on draft day? That he wasnt the quickest skater north south? Sure hasn't hampered the likes of Hutson or Fox.

All the dude does is win, and continues to elevate his play the more thats on the line. It seems like a lot of teams put a lot of weight into need/fit when picking that draft (just look at the Flyers, they didnt want Buium because they already had York 🤣). Teams are going to be kicking themselves for not selecting him.
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I said surefire top-5, not just top-5. There were some outliers that had him top-5, but most had him going in the back half of the top-10. Interestingly in McKenzie's scout rankings, Buium was not in any top-5 list but also had the narrowest range of those 2nd-tier defensemen. So he was viewed as a "safer" pick and not the wild card with upside like the others in the group. I can only speculate that his lack of upside by scouts could be related to the concerns about his size and strength on the defensive end, which is what has yet to be properly tested. If he truly had such a high floor and ceiling as you claim, then he wouldn't have been picked 12th, plain and simple. He does win (top teams tend to do this). He won last year. He scored last year. He defended last year. He did everything he's doing this year. He still was ranked where he was. He still has to prove the concerns wrong. That test will start soon.
 
State of Hockey said:
Nope, but they will be in the NHL/AHL. Those are the leagues that will test the concerns much more completely.



I said surefire top-5, not just top-5. There were some outliers that had him top-5, but most had him going in the back half of the top-10. Interestingly in McKenzie's scout rankings, Buium was not in any top-5 list but also had the narrowest range of those 2nd-tier defensemen. So he was viewed as a "safer" pick and not the wild card with upside like the others in the group. I can only speculate that his lack of upside by scouts could be related to the concerns about his size and strength on the defensive end, which is what has yet to be properly tested. If he truly had such a high floor and ceiling as you claim, then he wouldn't have been picked 12th, plain and simple. He does win (top teams tend to do this). He won last year. He scored last year. He defended last year. He did everything he's doing this year. He still was ranked where he was. He still has to prove the concerns wrong. That test will start soon.
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Youre right, NHL gms never make bone headed picks and are always perfect.

Your entire argument hinges on where he was selected and nothing about his actual on ice play lol. What are your concerns with his play and upside?
 
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Dr Jan Itor said:
A 6'0" 190+ lb defenseman doesn't have size concerns in today's NHL, and every NHL draftee isn't as strong as they're going to end up being 2-3+ years later. Weird concerns.
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Yeah, Makar is 6:00-190 and Quinn Hughes is maybe 5:11-185, so why is anyone freaking out about Buium's size? Buium has a chance to be paired with Faber on the 2026 US Olympic Team.
 
Buiums been great but has he really separated himself from the other defence picked ahead of him? I’m sure most of the teams other then Ottawa and maybe the Devils with how horrible Nemec has been keep who they originally drafted.

What an incredible draft for defence this looks like.
 
DemidovSaveUs said:
I still wonder if Parekh might not be the best offensive defendant to come out of this draft, though.
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Back to back 30 goal seasons and just eclipsed 100 points, sharing a bunch of milestones with Bobby Orr, but he's not the best. OK Mr. Buium.

KillerMillerTime said:
Yeah, Makar is 6:00-190 and Quinn Hughes is maybe 5:11-185, so why is anyone freaking out about Buium's size? Buium has a chance to be paired with Faber on the 2026 US Olympic Team.
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Hughes would be lucky to measure over 5'9", there is no way he's even remotely close to 5'11".
 
Dr Jan Itor said:
I'd be extremely shocked if he jumped both Werenski and Sanderson in less than an NHL season, as promising as he is.
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Odds are against it but all it will take is one injury amongst Werenski, Q. Hughes, Slavin & Sanderson to become a real possibility. If the Four Nations was held in 2023-24 season, Faber was worthy of a spot and I do believe Buium is going to replicate Faber's rookie year.

On a personal hockey note, my now 64 year old nephew, who like me grew up in Suburban Boston and played for years in his Town Youth Program with a d man teammate who played his first 17 games in the NHL at year end and then found himself 5 months later playing against Gretzky, Messier, Bossy at the Montreal Forum in the 1984 Canada Cup...lol. So I have personally seen some unusual scenarios.
 
JPeeper said:
Back to back 30 goal seasons and just eclipsed 100 points, sharing a bunch of milestones with Bobby Orr, but he's not the best. OK Mr. Buium.



Hughes would be lucky to measure over 5'9", there is no way he's even remotely close to 5'11".
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Hockey DB has Hughes listed at 5:10 but it makes my point even stronger in regards to Buium.
 
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